mouth of Hudfon's river, and is well furnished every where with convenient harbours. The fourth colony was called New-Haven, which being Londoners, intended to pursue trade, but failed in their enterprise ; their fortunes funk so fast, that they lost all hope, and many of them in returning to England, perished at fea, and never more faw their native country. As many, however, ftill remained as fupported the colony, which afterwards became confiderable, and was joined in one charter with Connecticut, in the reign of Charles the second, 1664; it in fuch manner as in and by these prefents is hereafter declared and appointed. And further we will and by these prefents, for us our heires and fucceffors do ordaine and grant that the Governor of the faid Companie for the time being, or in his abfence, by occafion of fickness or otherwife, the deputy Governor for the time being shall have authority from time to time upon all occafions to give order for the affembling of the faid Companie, and calling them together to confult and advife of the bufinefs and affaires of the faid Companie. And that the said Governor, deputy Governor and Affiftants of the faid Companie for the time being fhall or may once every month or oftner at their pleasures affemble and hould and keep a court or affembly of themselves for the better ordering and directing of their affairs. And that any feven or more perfons of the Affiftants together with the Governor or deputy Governor fo affembled fhall be faid, taken, held, and reputed to be, and shall be a full and fufficient court or affembly of the faid Companie, for the handling, ordering, and difpatching of all fuch bufineffes and occurrents, as fhall from time to time happen, touching or concerning the faid Companie or is plantation: And that there fhall or may be held and kept by the Governor or deputy Governor of the faid Companie, and feven or more of the said Affiftants for the time being upon every laft Wednefday in Hillary, Eafter, Trinity and Michaelmas Terms refpectively for ever, one great generall and folemn affembly, which four general Affemblies fhall be ftyled and called the foure greate and generall courts of the faid Company: In all or any of which faid greate and generall courts fo affembled, We do, for us, our heires and fucceffours, give and grant to the faid Gover nour and Companie and theire fucceffours, that the Governour, or in his absence the deputy Governour, of the faid Companie for the time being, and fuch of the Affift ants and freemen of the faid Companie as fhall be prefent or the greater number of them fo affembled, whereof the Governour or deputy Governour and fix of the Affiants at the leaft to be seven, fhall have full power and authori ty to choofe, nominate and appoint fuch and fo many others as they fhall thinke fitt, and that thall be willing to accept the fame, to be free of the faid Company and Body, and them into the fame to adnit: And to elect and conflitute fuch officers as they shall thinke is the capital of a county of the fame name, and was in a very flourishing condition before the prefent war. In all these colonies, the first settlers were careful to form independent churches; which, though they did confider themselves as accountable to each other for their conduct, yet lived in full fellowship and communion, walking in love with one another, and in the fear of God. Their ftrictnefs and feverities to thofe that offended or differed from them, in more enlightened times, may have the appearance of a real want of charity; Att and requifite for the odering, managing and difpatching of the affaires of the faid Governor and Companie and theire fucceffours: And to make laws and ordinances for the good and welfare of the faid Companie, and for the government and ordering of the said lands and plantation, and the people inhabiteing and to inhabite the fame, as to them from time to time fhall be thought meete. So as fuch lawes and ordinances be not contrary or repugnant to the laws and ftatutes of this our realme of England. And our will and pleafure is, and we do hereby for us, our heires and fucceffours, establish and ordaine, That yearely once in the yeare forever hereafter, namely the laft Wednesday in Eafter terme yearely, the Governour, deputy Governour and Affiftants of the faid Companie, and all other officers of the faid Companie shall be in the generall court, or affemblie, to be held for that day or time, newly chofen for the yeare infueing by fuch greater part of the said Companie for the time being, then and there prefent, as is aforefaid. And if it fhall happen the prefent Governour, deputy Governour and Affiftants by thefe prefents appointed, or fuch as fhall hereafter be newly chofen into their rooms, or any of them or any other of the officers to be appointed for the faid Companie, to dye, or to be remo ved from his or their severall offices or places before the faid gènerall day of election (whom we de hereby declare for any misdemeanor or defect to be removeable by the Governor, deputy Governor, Affiftants and Companie, or fuch greater part of them in any of the publick courts to be affembled as is aforefaid) that then and in every fuch cafe it fhall and may be lawfull to and for the Governour, deputy Governour, Affiftants, and Companie aforefaid, or fuch greater part of them fo to be affembled as is aforefaid, in any of their affemblies to proceed to a new election of one or more others of their Companie in the room or place, rooms or places of fuch officer or officers fo dyeing or removed, according to their difcretions. And immediately upon and after fuch election and elections made of fuch Gover nour, deputy Governour, Affilant or Affiftants or any other officer, of the faid Companie in manner and forme aforefaid, the authority, office, and power before given to the former Governour, deputy Governour, other officer, and officers fo removed, in whofe fled and place new fhall be fo chofen, fhall as to him and them and ཐ། rity; but fuch were the manners of those times, that there was little forbearance among profeffors of any denomination. Whatever may have been their vari ous defects and imperfections, they had, notwithstanding, a sense of religion upon their minds, which fhews at leaft they were in earneft in what they profeffed, Their follies, weakneffes, and extravagances, when compared with their virtues, bear lefs proportion, than perhaps may be found in the cafe of their fucceffors either in the mother country or in the colonies, every of them ceafe and determinę. Provided alfo, and our will and pleasure is that as well fuch as are by these prefents appointed to be the prefent Governour, deputy Governour and Affiftants of the faid Companie, as thofe that fhall fucceed them, and all other officers to be appointed and chofen as aforefaid thall, before they undertake the execution of their faid of fices and places refpectively, take their corporall oathes for their due and faithfull performance of their duties in their feveral offices and places, before fuch perfon or perfons as are by these prefents hereunder appointed to take and receive the fame, that is to fay, the faid Matthew Craddock, who is hereby nominated and appointed the prefent Governour of the faid Companie, fhail take faid oathes before one or more of the Maflers of our court of chancery for the time being, unto which Mafter or Mafters of the Chancery we do by thefe prefents give ful power and authority to take and adminifter the faid oath to the faid Gover nour accordingly. And after the faid Governour, fhall be fworne, then the faid deputy Governour and Affiftants before by thefe prefents nominated and appointed hail take the faid feveral othes, to their offices and pla ་་ Juft ces refpectively belonging, before the faid Matthew Craddock the prefent Governour fo fworne as aforefaid. And every fuch perfon as fhall at the time of the annuall election, or otherwife upon Death or removall, be appointed to be the new Governour of the faid Companie, fhall take the oaths to that place belonging before the deputy Governour or two of the Affiftants of the faid Companie at the leaft for the time being. And the new elected Deputy-Governour and Affiftants, and all other offcers to be hereafter chofen as aforefaid from time to time fhall take the oathes to their places refpectively belonging before the Governour of the faid Companie for the time being. Unto which faid Governour, Deputy-Governour, and Afliftants, we do by the fe prefents give full power and authority to give and adminifter the faid oathes refpectively, according to the true meaning herein before declared, without any commiffion or further warrant to be had and obtained of us, our heirs and fucceffors in that behalfe. And we do further of our efpeciall grace, certain knowledge, and meere motion, for us, our heires, and fucceffours, give and grant to the faid Governour and Companie and their fucceffours for ever by thefe Juft fentiments of civil and religious liberty have always been friendly to learning, and though there might be feveral blemishes in the conduct of the first fettlers in America; yet it must be granted even by their enemies, that they were friends both to liberty and learning. The colonifts had fcarcely been one year in New-England after they received their charter, when they began to contemplate a scheme for erecting a college or univerfity among them, where youth might be inftructed in the liberal arts, and perfons thefe prefents, that it fhall be lawfull and free for them and their affignes at all and every time and times hereafter, out of any of our realmes and dominions whatfoever, to take, leade, carry and tranfport for, in, and into their voyages, and for and towards the faid plantation in New-England, all fuch and fo many of our loving fubjects or any other ftrangers that will become our loving fubjects and live under our allegiance, as fhall willingly accompany them in the fame voyages and plantation, and alfo thipping, armour, weapons, ordinance, ammunition, powder, fhott, corne, victuals, and all manner of clothing, implements, furniture beafts, cattle, horfes, mares, merchandizes, and all other things ne ceffary for the faid plantation, and for their use and defence, and for trade with the people there, and in paffing and returning to and fro, any law or ftatue to the contrary hereof in any wife notwithstanding, and without paying or yeelding any cuftom or fubfidie, either inward or outward, to us. our heires or fucceffours, for the fame, by the space of seven yeares from the day of the date of thefe prefents. Provided that none of the faid perfons be fuch as fhall be hereafter by fpeciall name rerained by us, our heires or fuceffours. And for theire further incou ragement, of our efpecial grace and favour, we do by thefe prefents for us, our heires, and fucceffours, yeeld and grant to the faid Governor and Companie and theire fucceffours and every of them, their factors and affignes, that they and every of them fhail be free and quitt from all taxes, fubfidies and cuftomes in New-England for the like fpace of feven years, and from all taxes and impofitions for the space of twenty and one yeares upon all goods and merchandifes at any time or times hereafter, either upon importation thither, or exportation from thence, into our realme of England, or into any other of our dominions, by the faid Governour and Companie and their fucceffours, their deputies, factors and affignes, or any of them, except only the five pounds per centum due for cuftome upon all fuch goods and merchandifes, as after the faid feven yeares fhall be expired fhall be brought or imported into our realme of England, or any other of our dominions, according to the ancient trade of merchants: which five pounds per centum onely being paid, it fhall be thenceforth lawfull and free for the faid adventurers the fame goods and merchandizes to export and carry out of our faid domini ans fons fitted for all public offices, both for the magistracy and ministry. Accordingly at a general court, held at Boston September 8th 1630, a fubfcription was opened for building a college, at New Town, the name of which they changed to Cambridge. The fubfcriptions were at first but small, but fuch was the zeal and emulation of thofe colonists, that in a short time the money rais ed was confiderable. Mr John Harvard, minister at Charlestown, by his last will, bequeathed 779k 17s. 2d. for the purpose of building a college, which was presently ons into forreine parts, without any cuftome, taxe or other duty to be paid to us, our heires or fucceffours, or to any other officers or minifters of us, our heires and fucceffours. Provided that the faid goods and merchandizes be fhipped out within thirteen months after their firft landing within any part of the faid dominions.. R And we do for us, ou heires and fucceffours, give and grant unto the faid Governour and Companie and their fucceffours, that whenfoever, or so often as any cuftome or fubfidie thall grow due or payable unto us, our heires or fucceffours, according to the limitation and appointment aforefaid, by reafon of any goods, wares or merchandifes to be shipped out, or any return to be made of any goods wares or merchandifes, unto or from the faid parts of New-England hereby mentioned to be granted as aforefaid, or any of the lands and territories aforefaid, that then and fo often and in fuch case the farmers, customers, and officers of our cuftoms of England and Ireland and every of them for the time being, upon request made to them by the faid Governour and Company or their fucceffours, factors, or affignes, and upon convenient fecurity to be given in that behalfe, hall give and allowe unto the faid Governour and Companie and their fucceffors, and to all and every perfon and perfons free of that Companie as aforesaid, fix months time for the payment of one halfe of all fuch custome and fubfidie as fhall be payable unto us, our heirs and fucceffours, for the fame, for which these our letters patents, or the duplicate or the inrollment thereof, fhall be unto our faid officersa fufficient warrant and discharge. Nevertheless, our will and pleasure is, that any of the faid goods, wares, and merchandifes which be or fhall be at any time hereafter landed or exported out of any of our realmes aforesaid, and shall be shipped with a purpose not to be carried to the parts of New-England aforefaid. but to fome other place, that then fuch payment, dutie, cuftome. impofition, or forfeiture shall be paid or belong to us, our heires and fucceffors, for the faid goods, wares and merchandise so fraudu lently fought to be transported, as if this our grant had not been made or granted. And wee do further will and by thefe prefents for us, our heirs and fucceffors firmely enjoine and commande as well the Treasurer Chancellor and Barons of the Exchequer of us, our heires and fucceffors, as alfo all and fingular the customers, farmers, and collectors of |